As a photography business specializing in headshots, our first priority is to paint you in the best professional light possible. And a fringe benefit is that we are constantly meeting amazing people. We are introduced to companies with innovative and breakthrough technologies.

For example, one of our fellow tenants in the Highlight Center is OneOme. This company provides pharmacogenomic testing to help healthcare providers prescribe more effective prescriptions for patients. This cutting-edge service may help people avoid what could be life-threatening adverse drug reactions.

I recently took the headshot of OneOme’s CEO, Paul Owen, and got to learn about some fascinating medical science.

What is pharmacogenomics?

Pharmacogenomics is a combination of pharmacology and genomics. Experts in the field analyze information about each individual’s genetic makeup and how each drug will likely affect him or her. The pharmacogenomic results help providers optimize not only the right choice of drug, but also the correct dosage. This technology has been around for a while, but at first it was available only to the critically ill or those with deep pockets able to afford it.

According to medcitynews.com: “Just as a mannequin can’t accurately represent how an item of clothing will fit on different people, the one-size-fits-all mentality for prescription medicines overlooks a wide degree of variation.” Pharmacogenomics treats people like people, not mannequins, by identifying genetic differences and how individuals process various drugs.

OneOme brings cutting-edge medical technology to the masses

OneOme’s goal is to make this sort of testing available to anyone who needs it. The company was co-founded by Mayo Clinic in 2013. Providers now receive pharmacogenomic test results for over 360 medications at an affordable price to the patient. Doctors can also use the RightMed test results for future treatment decisions as patients’ needs change.

CEO Paul Owen believes in personalization and collaboration

OneOme demystifies the pharmacogenomics process for both the provider and patient, making the information accessible and easy to understand. This is something very important to the company’s CEO, Paul Owen. He told MedCityNews that he is proud of how OneOme functions as the tool for true collaboration between doctor and patient regarding the right medications. Paul joined OneOme in 2015 and became CEO the next year. He had a long career in healthcare administration before that.

As his business neighbor, I have to say I love how his headshot turned out—and the way we were able to collaborate. Paul used our online booking option, and I was able to accommodate a last-minute scheduling change.

He wrote me later: “You turned what can sometimes be a dreaded experience into an enjoyable one. You understood the personality I was trying to convey with my headshot and were able to capture it in my photo.”

By getting to know you and your expertise, no matter what business you’re in, the experience at KeliComm is a win-win. You get an amazing new headshot that captures your brand and the brand of your organization, while I get to learn about amazing new technologies and businesses!